Swimmers Daniel Wiffen and Danielle Hill win weekend medals in Rome and Belgrade

Magheralin’s Daniel Wiffen finished with bronze on both days at Rome’s Sette Colli Meet – following up Saturday’s third in the 800m freestyle with a similar placing over the 1500m freestyle final for Team Ireland.

Yesterday’s showpiece was his fourth race in three days coming off a three-week training camp in Turkey in preparation for the Paris Olympics.

“I’m happy with the time (14:53.39), it is an in-season best so I can’t ask for more than that,” said Wiffen on Swim Ireland. “Happy I came third, I died a bit at the end, but I’m happy with the race plan and it actually felt pretty good.”

Larne swimmer Danielle Hill has won gold and silver medals for Ireland at the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade. (Photo by ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP)

Also on show in Rome was Ards’ Victoria Catterson with fifth in the 200m Backstroke B final.

Wiffen’s brother Nathan was competing across the European Aquatics Championships in Belgrade yesterday in a final delayed from Saturday due to lightning overhead as he came home fourth in 15:10.64.

It marked his second final of the meeting on only his second senior international meet.

“I was actually quite surprised as I was leading for most of the race, I think it caught up to me as I was feeling it,” said Wiffen on Swim Ireland. “I’m happy, I’ve equalled my time in the heats, I’m very happy with my second international.

"Just another year of training and I’ll probably be beating those guys out there.”

Larne’s Danielle Hill claimed her second medal in Belgrade with silver in Saturday’s 100m backstroke.

On Thursday, Hill became the first Irish gold medallist at a European long course championships since Michelle de Bruin in 1997 when she claimed gold in the 50m backstroke.

The 24-year-old finished second in the weekend final by only 0.040s to Poland’s Adela Piskorska.

“It’s special after what has been a crazy night, we were just happy to get in the water and I knew tonight was going to be who wanted it more and put their hand on the wall first,” said Hill, after lightning caused havoc on a stormy night in the Serbian capital. “I’ve had to deal with that before out in the gold coast at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, it was the 100 backstroke semi-final.

“It was a bit nervy at times, but I got in the water and got the job done.

“Credit to Adela that she got her hand on the wall...it wasn’t to be tonight, but I can’t be disappointed with the silver medal.”

Also in Belgrade, Hill’s team-mate Lottie Cullen finished fifth in the 100m backstroke final on a senior international final debut by the National Centre (Ulster) competitor.

Fermanagh’s Ellie McCartney set a new personal best of 2:14.09 on her way to eighth in the 200m individual medley on Saturday.

Cookstown’s Calum Bain narrowly missed out on qualification for the 50m freestyle final by only 0.02 seconds in ninth overall.

Larne’s Conor Ferguson booked a spot in the 100m backstroke final but yesterday had to travel home.